ReviewNeuron2012
Neuromodulation of thought: flexibilities and vulnerabilities in prefrontal cortical network synapses.
Review in Neuron, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 322 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
322 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 539 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Quantifying the inverted U: A meta-analysis of prefrontal dopamine, D1 receptors, and working memory.Behavioral neuroscience · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of tolcapone and bromocriptine on cognitive stability and flexibility.Psychopharmacology · 2018Trial
- Effects of Augmenting N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Signaling on Working Memory and Experience-Dependent Plasticity in Schizophrenia: An Exploratory Study Using Acute d-cycloserine.Schizophrenia bulletin · 2017Trial
- Apical integration theory provides a neural basis for understanding disorganization and consciousness in the schizophrenias.Current research in neurobiology · 2026Article
- Age-Related Changes in Density, Arborization, and NMDA Receptor Expression in Somatostatin Interneurons of the Mouse mPFC.The Journal of comparative neurology · 2026Article
- Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of the mPFC Ameliorates Stress-Induced Hyperalgesia by Alleviating Microglia Activation in Rats.Brain and behavior · 2026Article
- Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex Circuitry at the Intersection of Cognition and Disease.Biological psychiatry · 2026Review
- Associations between immunosenescence and domain-specific cognition in the Health and Retirement Study Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol.BMC biology · 2026Article
- Cortical neuron classes and recursive curvature collapse: a neurobiological model of conscious dynamics.Theory in biosciences = Theorie in den Biowissenschaften · 2026Article
- Aberrant prefrontal activity and arousal level correlate with action initiation and response vigor in rats.iScience · 2026Article
- Threat intensity shapes cortical engram architecture supporting remote memory retrieval.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Intrinsic neuronal diversity as a substrate for cortical area specialization in primate vision.Nature communications · 2026Article
- Article
- Neurotransmitter Dysregulation in Parkinson's Disease: Pathophysiological Insights and Therapeutic Perspectives.ACS chemical neuroscience · 2026Review
- The role of the locus coeruleus in eye movements during perceptual decision making.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Glutamatergic Periaqueductal Gray Projections to the Locus Coeruleus Orchestrate Adaptive Arousal States in Threatening Contexts.Neuroscience bulletin · 2026Article
- Tonically active interneurons gate motor output inbioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Guanfacine and HCN channels: bridging neuroinflammation and prefrontal cortex function in autism spectrum disorder.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2026Review
- The Sentinel Phenotype: a theoretical bioenergetic and neurobiological framework for high-fidelity predictive systems (HEPOE Theory).Frontiers in neuroscience · 2026Article
262 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
This review describes unique neuromodulatory influences on working memory prefrontal cortical (PFC) circuits that coordinate cognitive strength with arousal state. Working memory arises from recurrent excitation within layer III PFC pyramidal cell NMDA circuits, which are afflicted in aging and schizophrenia. Neuromodulators rapidly and flexibly alter the efficacy of these synaptic connections, while leaving the synaptic architecture unchanged, a process called dynamic network connectivity (DNC). Increases in calcium-cAMP signaling open ion channels in long, thin spines, gating network connections. Inhibition of calcium-cAMP signaling by stimulating α2A-adrenoceptors on spines strengthens synaptic efficacy and increases network firing, whereas optimal stimulation of dopamine D1 receptors sculpts network inputs to refine mental representation. Generalized increases in calcium-cAMP signaling during fatigue or stress disengage dlPFC recurrent circuits, reduce firing and impair top-down cognition. Impaired DNC regulation contributes to age-related cognitive decline, while genetic insults to DNC proteins are commonly linked to schizophrenia.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.